What Yachts would you suggest?

Attessa III should be coming up for sale soon, as Attessa IV is nearing completion.

I would think this would be a great time to be in the market. Do you have any desire to buy an American-built yacht? I don't know if there are Deltas or Burgers on the market that suit your needs but certainly they would match the Christensen in quality and be additional made-in-the-USA choices.

liveaboard

Take a look at new Christensen, Primadonna. Understated interior from Casino Royale

I have a friend (another captain) who was hired by a buyer before he even started to look at boats. This worked out very well and they're on the second boat over a period of 8 years. If you're imminently looking to buy, this may be a good option to help steer you in the right direction.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not qualified to do this with this class of vessel so there is no mistaking intention. I have operated in this capacity several times and those buyers would attest that this is a very, very good way to go. A buyer can't possible be unbiased and detached even if he is very knowledgeable. For one thing he has the salesman/broker leading him towards what he wants him to concentrate on. For another, the buyer can't help but be excited and a bit overwhelmed by the glitz and by the fact that he is about to let go of a lot of money. The independent captain is only interested in finding out why this boat would not be right for this buyer based on the buyers life & cruising styles and desires. Whether it's beautiful or a dog or how much money is involved is of no concern to him, nor is whether the deal goes through.
This of course is not a substitute for a survey. This is just to find out if it's worthwhile proceeding to survey.

On the other hand, a captain might lead a buyer to a larger boat, say... something with commodious crew accommodations, requiring a full time, well-compensated captain?

(all in fun, I'll butt out now)

Once you start talking helicopters I think that's a given.

On the other other hand, you wish to consult a Refit & Repair representative who has no commission at stake, no special interest in crew accommodation, yet sees all forms of yachts including good aspects as well as bad!

Sorry Carl, I just had to trump you!

Pay a surveyor or a captain to be your sounding board, as you search. Day rates, no contracts, a hired gun to help you out in the search, who can walk away at the end, and has no horse in this race

I did notice that Boat International and its sister publications carried a review on T6 in April 2007 with photographs of the helicopter hanger and tender bays.

I see the helicopter is a Eurocopter A350 B3 which is the high performance/high altitude version. The vessel carries an ice class spec and has about a 10,000+ range - also has bunkering for avgas all to allow everything to operate with limited reliance on port based services for long periods. Seems that this yacht is as much about what you cannot see than what is immediately apparent - no doubt with a price tag to match the inherent cost of that capability! Very much the uncompromising expression of a liveaboard owner with a sense of adventure to explore.

steven

having owned boats that you describe my choices would be delta or feadship
you will find the helio is a good tool ,form my personal exp i would try and find a good capt that i was compatable with before i bought the boat

just my .02 travler

I've worked on boat a large Delta and a Feadship 160-172' range. I much preferred the Feadship over the Delta. The workmanship behind the joinery and stuff wasn't as clean as it should of been in some areas on the Delta. Also the entire A/C system on the Delta did not keep up with the Bahamian summer temperatures throughout the boat, even in the lower crew cabins. Feadship also had a much much better use of all space. There was a lot more storage space on the Feadship that Delta didn't utilize. The Delta was very nice, but didn't hold a candle to the Feadship.

CAPT J

i think the quality of the feadship is un matched that's Y i owned one now that my need's arent as great and i stick to the left coast and run the boat my self i like the delta plus i spend a lot of time in seattle

smothe sailing travler

Feadship builds a fine boat, but there are other yards building equally nice yachts for a lot less money. I've said this before and it's worth repeating... building a new boat can be the realization of dream, or it can be a never-ending nightmare. There's a myriad of considerations in a new build and topping this list should be the people you will work with and the relationships that will be forged in the process.

Before looking at Feadship, I would encourage you to take a close look at Bloemsma & Van Breeman who use most of the same sub-contractors, delivering the same level of Dutch quality, but at far less cost. The owner, Neco van Breeman, is a hands-on builder that is passionate and personable, with a wealth of engineering experience.

Delta also builds a fine boat. Similarly, some of the same contractors that work for Delta also work for other builders in the Pacific Northwest. If I were you, I would contact Jim Hawkins at Crescent/Queenship in British Columbia. They have a state of the art facility and Jim's among the finest in the biz.

And finally, Trinity would top list for the same reasons I mentioned the above. Building boats is also about building relationships. All of these yards are building world-class yachts, but most importantly, the people behind these yards are world-class as well. Can't say the same about others.

Hi,

I would tend to support Carls comments on Feadship but boy do they look good when they are done. I have done the build and been round the world on a De Vries one and done a couple of long deliveries on a Van Lent one so have experience with Feadship from both the yards that build them.

I am also happy to endorse the recommendation of Nico van Breeman, having recently been aboard an older one of his and been impressed to see the "little ship" with it's grown up system it really was.

I was on the same boat when it was new and it has done a good few miles, it has hung together well and this is a credit to the builders and the fact that the crew key are still much the same as the day it floated.

Dear Carl,

As Moonen now capable of building up to 150 feet boats in their new facility, would you consider to put Emile Bilterijst and Moonen in that list as well?

Most definitely Nilo. I've suggested Moonen in other threads as well, in addition to providing feature reviews for them. The point was to suggest some options, but it was by no means a complete list.